Johanna
by snow1010
Summary: the story of Johanna Mason.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When they call my name, I'm so shocked I don't feel surprised.

"Johanna Mason!"

My name echoes. Girls turn towards me. I saw my own funeral in their eyes. They didn't think I would be able to win.

They didn't know anything.

But I let them think their first impressions. First, I burst into tears and start to scream. Peacekeepers grab me and pull me up to the Justice Building.

Through everyone's eyes, I see what they think of me. Weak, coward, dead as soon as the gong goes.

I make eye contact with my best friend, Sam. He knows what I was capable of. I cease my crying to wink at him and then started to whimper. I make my way up the stairs and our ridiculously dressed escort grabs my hand to make sure that I actually stay on the stage.

I let the tears run down my face, showing shock and fear but on the inside, I was laughing madly. The fools believe me.

Our escort draws the name for the boys. It was some kid I recognized but didn't know. Good. Didn't want to be attached.

There was only one winner after all.

Then we were escorted into the Justice Building. I and the other boy, whose name was Jared or something, were separated and stuffed into rooms to say our good-byes. Of course, my parents and little brothers come in. They're twins and have just turned twelve, just in time for the Games. Yay.

They all hug me. They all shake with their grief, their tears thoroughly watering my clothes. This time, I don't have to fake the tears. They're real. There is a possibility that I wasn't going to be coming home.

I didn't bother wiping the tears away when my family left and Sam came in. He gave me a big hug. I feel the familiar strength of him and took comfort in it.

"You're going to win, Jo, I know it," he whispered in my hair.

I just sniffle, keeping the tears at bay. Then I remember my plan: to appear like the most cowardly, snivelling fool that couldn't possibly win the Games. I let the tears flow freely but restrained the sobs.

Sam pulled away from me. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye; his green eyes to my brown ones.

"Go through with this plan. Don't show how strong you are. Only in the end. But make sure you get your hands on an axe. Even a knife. As long as you can throw."

I nodded. I remember just the day before on our shift, we had axe throwing contests.

I'd always win with my accuracy.

Then a Peacekeeper forces Sam out and brings Jared and I to the car. I looked up at the screens mounted everywhere. My face was a snotty, teary mess.

Perfect.

As soon as we got on the train, our mentor, a twenty year old guy named Blight, stares at both of us. He then gets in both of our faces, staring in our eyes. He stared at me longer than he did at Jared. He then leaves, muttering something under his breath.

Jared and I exchange confused glances. I shrugged and then find a room for myself. I sit down on the bed. I wondered if my older brother had sat here too, contemplating his survival.

Two years ago, my oldest brother, was chosen for the Hunger Games. Like me, he was deadly with an axe and made it to the final eight. But most of the final eight was the Career pack. They knew Hugh could fight and well. So they hunted him down and killed him. One of the Careers won that year, the boy from 1.

I'm a vicious girl but that side of myself intensified after he died. Hugh was my older brother, my protector and one of my best friends in the entire world.

I'm going to win this for him.

Blight makes us watch the reapings. Pretty much all of the other tributes are bigger than me, except for the twelve year old from 6. The Career tributes, of course, look monstrous with their killer eyes and extremely muscular bodies.

I listen to their commentary as the Peacekeepers drag me to the stage.

The commentators sigh in unison as they watch me snivel and sob.

"I guess we know who's not going to win the Games this year," one of them says.

That makes me snort and then leave for my quarters. I feel Jared's eyes on me. Registering my calm now, even sarcasticness.

I wonder if he knows that I'm not weak but strong. Lethal.

All of them have something coming.

Johanna Mason is coming for them all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The woman was absolutely crazy.

I am not dressing up as a _tree_.

A freaking tree.

My stylist holds out the costume, a bodysuit made of flesh coloured mesh covered with leaves and branches.

"I am not wearing that," I say, "I will look ridiculous."

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter," my stylist trills and begins to dress me.

I let her but I grumble under my breath, making sure I'm loud enough for her to hear my utter dislike. All she does is laugh at me and then make sure my hair and makeup is all done. She puts a crown atop my short hair and pats my cheek.

"You look beautiful darling," she chirps in her stupid Capitol accent.

I'm so tempted to slap her. Maybe it would dislodge the stupid accent.

Then she takes me out to where all of the chariots are gathering. All of the tributes eye me in the costume. Many of them smirk at me. I see the promise of my death in them. Joke's on them.

I arrange my face into a fearful expression, exaggerating my present terror. It was there, buried under the determination and ferocity. I meet Jared at our chariot and we get on. Soon enough, the tribute parade starts.

Everything blurs together. The citizens' faces, their fancy clothes, bright colours, the TV screens with us on them. Next thing I knew, we were pulling into the Training Center.

_I run in the familiar forest of home, the scent of it filling my lungs. Sam's there with me, grinning. Then the scene changes. I'm still in the forest but not the one at home. It's different, just the feel of it. Fear, blood and danger are in the air. Tributes jump from between the trees, wearing different costumes from past Games. The costumes are blood splattered. They hold weapons, shining and deadly. It's an army of dead tributes coming after me. And at the head of the army is Hugh. _

_Hugh is in a simple jacket and pants, an axe in his hand. Blood drips from the blade. Dried blood is all over him. His death blow, a cut to the neck, freshly bleeds. _

I jolt out of bed just in time for breakfast. The nightmare terrified me so badly that I fall out of my bed. I groan and then get up, following the scent of food. Blight and Jared are already there, eating. I stuff my face and then when I'm done, Jared leaves to get ready.

Blight turns to me. "Tell me your plan quick, Johanna. And I have a feeling what it is," he says.

"I'm acting as a weakling so they'll leave me alone," I say. "They won't pay attention if they think I'm weak. I can be easily disposed of."

Blight rubs his chin in thought. "Well, it is working so far. It may not guarantee you life on the first day but it's worth a shot. Keep it going. Even during the private sessions. You have to get a low score. The highest would be a five."

I nod to let him know I'm listening.

"And you don't want Jared to know this either, do you?"

I shake my head. "If he knew, then I don't know what he'd do."

"Well, you better get going, training is going to start," Blight says and pats my shoulder.

I sigh and then follow Jared out to the elevator.

Training doesn't exactly go well.

The Careers made a point by shoving me around at different stations.

"Dead meat," one of the boys whispers to me. I think he's from 2. He's huge and pretty scary.

I manage to restrain myself, from shoving him and grabbing the nearest weapon.

To cover up my rage, I just shakily sigh.

It's near the end of training now. I've learned a couple of things like some new snares, and edible plants. I know a lot of this stuff about surviving in the woods; I'm in them every day. It's always a precaution. If a wild predator attacks, or we somehow get separated from our chopping team, we knew how to survive off the land.

I'm at the last station of the day, the axe station. I've decided to risk it. Obviously that was not smart of me.

I'm not good with controlling my temper.

It's the same Career boy, the one from 2. As soon as I grab an axe, he takes it from me and throws it. It hits the dummy in the chest.

I grab another before he can take it from me. I shove him away and then throw the axe. It cleaves the dummy's head in half. The Career looks down at me, surprised.

"Lucky throw," I say, shrugging.

I felt the Gamemakers' eyes on me as I shove past the Career and mutter swear words under my breath.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Next thing I know, it's the interviews. The next day, we're going to the arena.

Where all of the fun begins.

Yeah, right.

I got a six in training. Even though I absolutely bombed the private session, I still got the six. Probably because of that throw that cleaved the dummy's head.

My stylist dresses me up in a fitted sparkly dress. It has an open back that is so low; it almost shows off my bare butt.

But I have to admit, I look pretty good.

And this is reinforced by the looks all of the tributes give me. The look of appraisal.

My hair's curled and twisted into an updo. Little spiral curls escape from it, giving me a glamorous look.

Then there calling Johanna Mason and I mount the stage.

In District 12:

The citizens of Panem watch as this tiny girl, about seventeen in age, mount the stage.

A young Katniss Everdeen sits in front of the TV with her family. She watches the girl from 7 answer Caesar Flickerman's questions shyly. Fear twists the girl's face.

But Katniss sees something in the depths of Johanna's brown eyes. She recognizes it because it's in her own gray eyes.

It's strength.

The weakling had the eyes of a hunter.

Back in the Capitol:

Finally the interviews are over. I feel Jared's eyes on me as we rise to the seventh floor. I glance at him.

His eyes are unreadable. The doors slid open when we reach our floor. I walk out and then the pressure of Jared's hand on my back makes me pay attention.

"Good luck tomorrow. If we both survive, maybe we can work together," he says.

I smile to give him some form of reassurance. We know that the odds are not in our favour. The Careers will probably kill one of us, if not both of us.

If he dies, I'll win it for him.

More like when, since I have to win.

But thinking of Jared dying thoroughly depresses me even though I don't really know him. I guess it is because he's from home. A reminder of the home that I may not ever see again.

I grab his hand and squeeze. We embrace tightly. There are no tears, sadness. It's just us in the dark, holding on to that little piece of home. Jared still smells like home, of pine trees and fresh air.

Then we pull away and go to bed.

My dreams were haunted by my dead brother again. I woke up, covered with sweat and tears leaking out of my eyes.

I sigh and then exit my room. I find one of those Capitol attendants on night shift and they make me something to eat. Don't want to upset a tribute, one that is hours away from death.

I chug the cold milk and cram my face with cookies. I eat until my stomach is bulging and I feel myself turning green.

Hopefully we were in a forest.

I look out a window, the lights of the Capitol lighting up the night sky. I can hear their cheers as many parties take place.

Celebrating the Hunger Games, where kids are going to die and become killers.

I sigh and go back to bed. And of course I dream of the Games. This time, I'm running, bloody axe in hand, hunting some other tributes. The constantly shifting landscape distracts me. When I set foot on a rock, it disappears and I plummet down a cliff, the ocean bathing me in salt water. And my body hits the spire rocks.

It goes on and on. I repeatedly die in different landscapes of past Games. All of those Games that I watched, the different ways that District Seven's tributes died, are replayed except I'm the one living them.

Then my stylist is shaking me awake and it's time to go. We go up to the roof and are lifted into the hovercraft. A woman in a white coat injects me, placing my tracker under my skin.

Which freaking hurts by the way.

I just stare out the hovercraft window while my stylist chatters away excitedly. Birds fly past, their wings working furiously.

Then the windows are blacked out. But not before I get a flash of trees.

Maybe the odds will be in my favour.

I'm escorted to the Launch Room by a bunch of Peacekeepers.

But really it's the Stockyard. The place animals go for slaughter.

My stylist ushers me into the tribute clothes. Sturdy black pants with a black t-shirt. A tight fitted red jacket goes over.

I twist my hair into little pigtails, further pressing the weak image.

"What do you think?" I ask the stylist.

My stylist is pretty stupid but she is smart in one thing: clothes.

"That jacket can reflect body heat. And waterproof," she says, pinching at the blood red fabric.

A pleasant female voice announces that it's time for launch. Sighing, I step on the metal plate and a cylinder is lowered over me. My stylist wiggles her fingers at me and mouths _have fun_.

Then I'm being lifted into the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Sixty-ninth Hunger Games begin!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I take in my surroundings. The details are imprinted in my brain and saved for future use as I look around. The fear and adrenaline pumping makes it seem like forever but really it's only a couple of seconds.

We are all equidistant from the Cornucopia, which glows brightly in the setting sun. One kid, I think a girl, drops her district token, and she's blown sky high. Several tributes get sprayed by blood and gore. But none of them react. Their eyes are glued to the Cornucopia.

I was spared from the deadly shower of tribute. Lucky for me.

A ring of water surrounds us. It appears shallow. Then there's the forest surrounding us, except for the lake just behind the Cornucopia.

I eye a big backpack not too far from me. It's about a quarter of the way to the Cornucopia.

Two double battle axes catch my attention. And of course, they're at the mouth of the horn.

I already developed a plan when the gong goes. I pick up the backpack and then race for the forest. Already, I see some tributes fleeing from the scene and into the forest.

I'm cloaked in the shadows of the trees. I climb one with the most foliage that's not far from the Cornucopia. A tribute actually races past me, not noticing me.

I watch the bloodbath. I actually found binoculars in the backpack. Also in the pack is a lighter, a package of dried fruit and beef, along with crackers, a sleeping back, darkness glasses and a strange black jacket made of rough material. I was extremely lucky. Almost impossibly so. I take the jacket and place it on the branch. I suck in a breath when the jacket disappears.

I touch where it was. The jacket was still there.

It was a camouflage jacket. Extremely expensive.

I turn my attention back to the bloodbath.

Many of the tributes are fighting, even though some of them have their supplies. They want to take out their adversaries so they can live longer. How stupid.

I see Jared kill a tribute with the swipe of a sword. Blood splatters his face and a snarl twists at his lips. He looks like a feral animal. But it's not as bad as the Careers. The boy from 2 is actually laughing as he goes and kills tributes. Blood is smeared all over his skin like war paint.

Jared runs off, a good size backpack on his back and a bloody sword in hand. He disappears into the trees. The fighting wears on until finally the Careers are alone. I notice that there's only five of them. One of them didn't make it which is strange.

The cannons start to go and I count the shots. Eleven of them. Thirteen left.

Night suddenly falls and the Careers run into the forest and begin their hunt. Certain that they're gone, I sprint for the Cornucopia. I start to stuff things in my pack.

I grab pretty much all of the food. Then I go for the axes which I attach to my belt of knives. I run back to the forest. I run for a while, certain that I've gone in far enough. I find a group of very leafy trees and pick the one that seems to be in the middle of the clump.

I nibble on one of my crackers to settle my already growling stomach. But I don't touch anything else. This may be one of the longer games. I remember that one past Games actually ended just short of a month.

The moon rises, a silver crescent. Moonlight begins to crawl across the bloodbath area. A hovercraft begins to stuff in the bodies. The moonlight provides a spotlight on the scene. The blood splattered on the gold of the horn, the bodies littered around it, the blood still dripping from the bodies as they are lifted up. It's so horrific but so beautiful at the same time.

I hear the call of some creature, a high, grating noise that makes me cover my ears. Then it's silence again.

I sigh and then watch as nightly death toll rolls around, anthem blaring in its amazing annoying fashion. At home, they're featuring each death in full.

Back in District 7:

Sam watches the TV with rapt attention, almost waiting for the picture of Johanna's face on the screen as part of the death toll.

Both tributes from 3 are killed. The girl gets a knife to the neck and she drops to the ground, convulsing, choking and well, dying. The boy was actually killed by Jared with a deadly blow to the neck.

Then it's the girl from 4. She got beheaded by the boy from 6. Sam thinks his name is Titus.

There's the girl from 5 that's next. She's the one that gets blown to pieces when she dropped her ball.

Everyone lives from District 6 and 7. Sam releases a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. Both Johanna and Jared survived the first day.

Then it's both from 8 and 9. The girl from 8 killed the boy from 9 and then was killed by the girl from 9. She is then killed by the boy from 8. Just as he reached for the backpack that he fought for, the boy from 10 killed him with a punch to the nose.

Then it's the boy from 10 who gets killed by the boy from 2 with a knife to the chest.

Both from 11 survive as well.

The last deaths are the pair from Twelve. They both got killed by the tributes from 2.

Sam looks into his families' eyes. He sees the grief over all of the childrens' deaths but he also sees relief.

That Johanna is still alive and fighting.

In the arena:

I fall asleep after I see the boy from 12 disappear from the sky. I found that almost every time, the pair from 12 died in the bloodbath. They always seemed like the weakest of tributes. The others, we weren't Careers, but at least we knew something.

Like 3 and their tech. Or my home, 7, with chopping trees.

Even 4. If they weren't Careers, they'd still be good, with spearing fish and stuff.

Poor 12. Hopefully, 12 would get some victors soon. The only victor they had that was still alive was Haymitch, who won the second Quarter Quell. I didn't see his Games since it was the year before I was born but I've seen clips of it.

I'm woken by the same screeching sound along with a high pitched scream. Then a cannon fires.

Twelve dead now. Twelve to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next day, I go around and start setting up traps.

One where a tribute could dangle from a tree. The classic pit with spires to meet your fall. Some nice stuff.

Then the day is done. I wait for the faces to show in the sky.

It's the girl from 10. I assume she died by that screeching creature.

There's been a death so the audience should be entertained until the next day. That meant a good night's sleep.

I'm woken up by birds chirping and the sound of one of my traps being activated. But no cannons, so I guess no one fell into the pit.

Such a shame.

I get my axes ready as I approach the trap. I hear the tribute struggling to cut free. If they're armed, they'll be able to free themselves and might come after me.

Dangling from the tree is a boy. Just as I pull a knife to throw, I realize who it is.

It's Jared.

I start to laugh and he whirls towards me, his face red from being hung upside down.

"Johanna," he says.

"Jared," I say, shoving the knife back into my belt. I cut him down and he plops on the ground in quite the funny fashion. Which makes me even laugh harder.

"I'm glad I found you," Jared says, brushing dirt off his clothes.

"I don't know about that," I say, "you didn't seem very happy when you were dangling in a tree."

"Course not, brainless. I thought a Career was going to come and kill me," he says, shrugging.

I hand him one of my axes and he smiles when he takes it.

"I was looking for one of these at the horn, but I didn't want to get killed over it so I left," he tells me as we skirt around all my traps. We find one of my snare traps and feast on some weird bird that has really fatty meat.

There's another cannon. Eleven left now.

We watch the hovercraft pick up the body, the claw going down twice. But something's wrong. The hovercraft wobbles in the air as something attacks the claw arm. But in the end, the hovercraft gets the body. Wonder what that was about.

We go deeper into the forest this time, making more traps as we go along. As we walk, we talk, getting to know each other.

I didn't want to talk to him or get to know him.

It would just be more painful when he died for me.

But it didn't really matter.

Walking in the woods full of kids that want to kill you bonded us. We were a reminder of home that the arena has failed to take away from us. At least not yet.

Even though we weren't home, I relax at the familiar sights of trees, the smell of them and the sounds of little animals scurrying in the underbrush.

A crazy looking tribute suddenly bursts through the trees. A plastic tub is in his hand and then he uncaps it, pouring the liquid everywhere. I recognize the strong scent.

Gasoline. We run for one of our traps. Hopefully, the kid would fall into one of them.

Flames suddenly roar behind us. The kid must be shocked too because he joins us. We don't bother killing him; we're too focused on outrunning the fire.

I hear the crashing of someone else through the trees.

I spot the Cornucopia and we all race for it. I throw a quick glance to the fire behind us. It leaps from tree to tree like a live thing. It roars as it devours the forest. Something inside me is saddened by the death of this part of the forest.

The Gamemakers have to go and kill everything.

The boy from 5 collapses in the ring of water around the tribute plates. Flames had caught his jacket and he rolls in the water to extinguish them.

Another tribute, a girl, also flies out of the forest and drops into the water. I look around, trying to see if the Careers were coming as well. But it was just us.

I look at Jared, unsure of what to do.

The girl sees us and runs back to the forest. We don't bother chasing her down. The Careers will probably find her soon enough.

The boy from 5 just lays there in the water as we approach him. He breathes fast, his chest billowing in and out. His blue eyes are extremely dilated; they almost look black. Burns and cuts decorate his skin. And there's a cut at his neck. It looks exactly like the one Hugh got before getting killed by the Careers.

His half gallon tub of gasoline is now empty. And by the looks of it, he doesn't have any other weapon. Before I ask him if he wants to be in an alliance, an axe is in his chest. Jared gives me a look. "He was going to kill us, Johanna. He had a lighter and we're covered with gas." My eyes dart to the little black device in his lax hand. He was about to flick on the flame when Jared killed him.

I sigh. Just to keep the appearances of being a weakling, I start to cry, my tears dropping on the bloody wound on the almost dead boy's chest. A cannon fires. The hovercraft comes and picks up the boy once we back away.

Jared and I are able to make one of those hunting blinds, like a little treehouse. By the time we're done, night has fallen. The anthem starts and we look up for the death toll. The first to show is Jared's kill, the boy from 5. The next one is the boy from 11. I wonder who killed him and who tried to keep his body.

Whoever it was was pretty strong to fight off the hovercraft claw.

Now it's ten. Getting closer to home now.

But the Careers are still out there. Waiting to kill.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Several days go by. Jared and I work well together, getting food, setting traps. And in that time, it finally comes down to the final eight.

I've also managed not to kill anyone yet.

The other tribute from 11 and the girl from 6 were gone. All of the Careers were still kicking. Districts 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 are still in the game.

When we spy on the boy from 6, Titus, we see something that definitely not the norm.

Titus was keeping the bodies of the players he killed, including his district partner. He had somehow taken a couple of bodies from the bloodbath area without being killed.

And he was eating their hearts.

Just as I raise my axe to deal the killing blow, Titus seizes in convulsions. Looks like the Gamemakers were stunning him. As Titus falls to the ground, unconscious, the hovercraft swoops in and takes the bodies. They also pick up their hearts. Little red orbs that could fit into the palm of your hand and drip blood.

Seeing the blood that coated Titus's chin, I know that he had already eaten a heart.

The earth suddenly shakes. There are snow topped mountains in the distance and I see snow and rocks tumbling down the mountain face. I don't need to look through my binoculars to know that it's an avalanche.

Titus stirs, his eyelids fluttering.

"Let's go!" I yell, grabbing Jared's arm. We sprint for it as the rumbling grows more intense, the avalanche in crescendo. All I hear is the rocks descending.

I manage to hear a cannon fire as the rocks race towards us, just at our heels. Titus was dead.

The avalanche stops abruptly and the rocks remain just behind us. A hovercraft appears and the claw digs through the rocks to pick up Titus's broken body. He's close enough for me to see all of the extreme angles of all of his broken limbs.

Finally I lose my stomach and find some bushes to throw up in.

Flashes of bloody eaten hearts and broken bodies flash behind my eyes as I empty my stomach. Jared rubs my back in comfort.

Seven of us left.

District 1, District 2, District 4 and District 7.

Six more deaths until the victor escapes victorious.

I wipe my mouth and look at Jared.

"Look I got a plan. And then we're on our own. Don't want it to come down to the two of us."

I nod. I don't think I could kill Jared, even if it meant going home. He reminds me too much of home and of Hugh.

"So what's the plan?" I ask.

"We're going after the Careers. In specifics, just one of them. The District 4 guy. If we separate him from the others, we might have a chance with the both of us."

I nod. "Okay, do we know where they're hiding?"

"Well, they might still be together. But we're the only other tributes. Tensions are gonna start running high for them. They'll separate soon. And at that time, we'll strike."

We go back to our tree house and grab all of our stuff.

We get out of our section of the forest and begin to set the trap at the Cornucopia. Then I go with my camouflage outfit; sponsors just sent me the whole outfit so I can move unseen through the forest.

Jared wanted to go instead but the camouflage only fit me. Plus, I wanted to go. The Career would believe me and wouldn't think I'd try to trap him.

So I go into the forest, tree leaping. I don't have to look hard. The District 4 boy is alone, washing up. Blood and dirt is smeared all over his skin. Two spears are beside him and he cleans the dried blood of them as well. It's a little too easy to find him so I'm instantly suspicious.

Maybe I should just kill him right now.

Just as I pull a knife, a branch snaps. District 4 stiffens and then begins to move in my direction, spear at the ready. An arrow flies out and hits the tree just behind the boy. He scrambles out, heading towards the Cornucopia.

The girl from 2 materializes and she lowers her bow. She takes the boy's stuff. "Sucker," she says and looks through it. Apparently, he got some good stuff. She walks and stops just under my tree. By the way she's stuffing her face with his food and the caved in cheeks, she's starving.

I can't ignore it this time. I ready my axe and then drop from the branches, knocking the girl down. She bucks me off even though she can't see me.

"So, who's this? Can't be anyone I know can it?"

I take off the camouflage mask to reveal my face.

"Surprised?" I ask, smirking.

She definitely is. The surprise twists her features in an expression not normal to her. Fear.

Her eyes go to her bow which lies on the ground. She takes out one of her arrows and readies herself.

I don't delude myself. Careers are called Careers for a reason. They're deadly.

I immediately get a puncture when she goes for my neck. Blood begins to pump out.

My axe is a deadly extension of my arm. My blade severs her right hand from her body. The girl is screaming in agony and then tackles me to the ground. I buck her off with a tremendous heave, her blood all over me. A bit far away, I hear the crashing of another Career heading for us. Whoever it is heard the screaming and is coming to join in.

I have to hurry. The look in the girl's eyes as she fights me tells me she just broke. She's going to topple off the cliff of insanity.

I duck from her fist and then my axe flies.

Her eyes meet mine in sudden connection. The bloodlust fades from her eyes. The shine of life gone. Her head topples from her body and then her body keels over. Blood sprays me in the face.

I don't linger on the fact that I just killed someone.

I run for the Cornucopia. I hear the clang of metal against metal.

The District 4 boy is covered in a net but he manages to fight off Jared. And Jared is wounded and tired. Blood steadily drips from a wound on his side.

I pull on the mask again and I disappear from human sight.

I run, taking care to jump over the water surrounding the plates.

The District 4 boy gives me his back and then I throw my bloody axe. It gets him and he falls over, dead. I take my axe out of his body and take off the mask.

A cannon fires.

"I heard a cannon," Jared says, hugging me tightly.

He thought it was me. He was actually sad over my possible death.

"But I can see I don't need to worry," he says. But in his eyes, he's thinking the exact opposite. I just proved that I was a force to be reckoned with. That I had to be eliminated now in order for his survival.

We hug again and I bind his wound.

"Bye, Jo," he says, grasping my hand. I squeeze back. I feel like I've already lost him.

"Bye, Jared. May you find peace in the eternal forest," I say, saying an old 7 eulogy.

"May you find peace in the eternal forest," he repeats and then he goes, disappearing into the trees. I go back to the tree house where Jared and I made our temporary home in this hell.

I let the tears run silently down my face and then wipe them away.

Night falls and I watch the faces in the sky.

The girl from 2, the boy from 4 and Titus light up the sky and then fade away forever.

Maybe I'll have peace for a day to prepare for the end.

**Hey guys! sorry for the pretty long wait. Have been pretty busy and suffering from a bit of writer's block. So here is the next chapter of Johanna and I'll try to post more!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I do get my day of rest. And on that day, I get another gift from a sponsor.

Some bread and a fancy bird.

I try to take my time on the bird but I easily stuff it down my throat. The bird was infused with orange sauce; so delicious.

I wasn't careful, my fingers and mouth were coated with the stuff. Then I gently ripped the bread into chunks. I enjoy my meal. My food is running out even when I'm starving myself to make it last longer. Also, the animals seem to have disappeared. When I check my snares, they're always empty, no promise of fresh meat.

I bet the Gamemakers are trying to starve us. Just thinking of the District 2 girl's sunken cheeks and starving eyes makes me shudder.

I find a little pond and bathe. From being trapped on hell on earth, I've gotten pretty filthy. Blood and dirt is caked all over my skin.

All I feel like doing is sighing. My stomach tightens painfully and I suck in a breath. I hurry back into my clothes as soon as I'm clean and attack the nearest pine tree. My knife sinks into the bark and I dig at it, peeling away the outer bark to get to the soft stuff underneath.

I grab a big handful and eat it. It's a bit hard to swallow after having ambrosial Capitol food but the taste and texture of it reminds me of home, goofing off with Sam. I explore for a while and dig up some roots, berries and leaves. But even chewing mint leaves doesn't settle my endless void of a stomach.

Hopefully, the Gamemakers would drive us together so the Games could end already.

Days later...

My stomach feels like it's touching my back. I've managed to not keel over from starvation by living off bark and roots and berries. My snares have remained empty. There is no trace of animals in the forest which worries me deeply. Where are they? And why were the Gamemakers making them disappear?

I've also heard the screeching of that mutt creature but there have been no cannons.

Just as I finish my meal, the trumpets sound and I straighten.

Claudius Templesmith calls us to a feast.

"There is a lot of food here. But there is something special here for one of you if you can get it. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

I immediately go to the edge of the forest and look at the Cornucopia. I hear the rumbling of the arena opening and I make my move.

I run as fast as I can.

A table covered with fine white cloth rises in front of the mouth of the horn. On the table are bags of food. And there is one backpack. Just as my hand closes around the handle of a food bag, I hear the thuds of feet and the panting of breath. And then the whir in the air of a weapon flying.

I leap over the table, food bag still in hand. A spear flies over me and falls into the Cornucopia. Peeking over the table, I see the boy from 1 reaching for a food bag and the backpack.

Whatever that is in the backpack must be pretty special. Just as his arm extends to grab them, I grab his arm and flip him over the table. He slams into the ground hard and sucks air like a fish. I could kill him now and fight the others but it would be smarter to just grab and go. Just as I am about to do that, a body slams into me. It's the girl from 1. She raises a knife and it drops towards me. Fear injects new strength into my blood and I dodge the knife, the blade sinking into the grass where my head was.

I buck the girl off and I throw a knife at her airborne body. Unfortunately, she rolls in mid-air and it doesn't kill her. But it does cut her and the blood starts flowing. I grab a bag and the backpack. A hand goes on my shoulder and whirls me around.

I see a flash of big muscles, a bloodthirsty smile and a gold-brown iris, like a wolf. There's the star bright wink of metal and then a knife goes for my stomach. I move at the last second and the blade cuts it. I feel the sudden warmth of my blood pulsing out of my body. But I manage to move from his next swing.

The boy from 2 smiles when he sees me; scrambling from him on all fours. The blood stains my shirt and jacket. I'm starting to get dizzy from blood loss. I know that if I don't get away now, I'll die here. Just as I'm about to accept my death from the boy from 2, Jared comes along and fights him.

The girl from 1 stumbles away, a bag of food in her hand. She knew that grabbing the backpack would draw pursuers. I'm still on the ground; from the blood loss, I have only the strength to watch.

Jared manages to wound the boy from 2 and then he grabs a bag of food. He nods to me and turns to run off when the boys from 1 and 2 catch him, their blades going into him. They poke out of his back, the points covered with dark blood. The boy from 2 smiles and grabs the backpack along with a bag of food. But the boy from 1 isn't so lucky. Just as Jared drops to the ground, my axe flies into the boy's head. My utter surprise, rage and grief gave me strength to get up. A cannon fires.

But before the hovercraft can get Jared, I pick him up and take him to my section of forest. A parachute lands nearby. I open it and find a first aid-kit. I open it and try to bind Jared's wounds. But by judging the pallor of his face, I know there's no saving him. Jared's eyes are on me, childlike fright in his eyes. I grasp his hand, desperate to keep him with me.

I recite the traditional 7 eulogies for him, our eyes locked. A little smile tugs at his lips.

"May you find peace in the eternal forest," I say, finishing it.

"Thank you," he whispers.

I hold his hand tight. Our blood mixes together, painting our hands with the violent colour.

"I'll win for you," I promise Jared, "I will avenge you."

He grins that lopsided smile. "You better, brainless. What's the sense of me dying if you don't win?" he says and then coughing.

Influenced by my intense emotions, I give Jared a peck on the lips. His hand goes to my cheek. I hold it for a second and then put it on his chest.

His breath hitches and his eyelids flutter and then close.

Jared's cannon fires.

I build a platform for him and place his body onto it. I don't light the pyre though. The message is enough. That the Capitol killed him, and we are all just pawns in their Games.

I back away from Jared. I let a few tears slid before pulling myself together. The hovercraft comes and takes Jared away, sending him home.

Now it was time to avenge him. I wouldn't be able to have the death of the Capitol in the arena.

But I'd settle for the death of the District 2 boy.

I go to my tree house and settle in for the night. The seal lights up the sky and we see the boy from 1 and Jared, and then they fade away from the world forever.

Burning hatred and fury heats my blood.

From Jared dying, it's obvious that I can't sleep. Even after having pine needle tea. Packing up, I shove on the night glasses. And I go hunting.

I don't know who I'm trying to find. All I want to do is kill something.

I start to notice the knives stuck into several trunks of trees. Almost invisible strings form trip wires and from the slight depression in the ground in front of me, I know it's a trap. I take one of the knives out and undo the string wrapped around the handle. I only have my knives now. The only two axes are in the District 1 boy's head and on Jared who are now gone.

Just as I'm wishing for them, they descend from the sky.

Two axes are in the parachute and I grin when the handles naturally fit into my hand. Judging by the custom fight and sharpness of the axe blades, they were made just for me.

This must be the District 1 girl's trap. I doubt that the District 2 boy is smart enough to make a trap this complex. It has a pit, a spear that will impale me if I trip over the wire and a net nestled in the branches of a tree.

This girl is good.

I have to somehow trigger the traps so the girl will come. I have a feeling she's nearby but not vigilantly watching her traps. The tribute that would get caught would either be dead or trapped. And she would have time to get to the trap before you could escape.

I activate the trip wire by stepping on it and the spear swings out. I catch it by the shaft and untie it. It might be useful. I love my axes but there was nothing wrong with more deadly metal pointy things.

I hear careful footsteps approaching. I pull on my camouflage and hide behind a wide pine trunk.

The girl from 1 materializes. Her blond hair is filthy with dirt and blood. Noting the very new looking wounds, I assume that she was fighting with the boy from 2. Or maybe the boy from 1 at the feast? Either way, she might be weaker from her fight.

That made it easier for me.

She wipes out a knife and has a tense grip on the blade.

She's a knife thrower. Great.

I guess I sighed a little too loudly since a knife flies in my direction. I fall to the ground and then scramble up. I throw an axe but I know that once it leaves my hands, it will miss or not deal the killing blow.

The axe cuts off her right arm and she screams. Blood spurts from the stump like water, spraying everywhere. I seize my chance and throw my other axe and it flies into her chest.

Her cannon fires.

I calmly retrieve my bloody weapons. I don't feel any remorse; just cold emptiness. Every time I close my eyes, I see Jared's bloodless face as he closes his eyes for the last time.

A screech sends fear down my spine and I know it's the end.

The Gamemakers are using their creatures to drive us together. I run for my life as the screeching creature pursues me.

And then I hear Claudius Templesmith congratulating us on being the final two and to please make our way to the Cornucopia.

_Please. _Like we have a choice.

My legs pump furiously, blurring into movement. I feel like I'm flying, with my speed spurred on by fear and adrenaline. The screech makes my blood freeze; it's practically right above me.

I risk a peek at the creature and am almost paralyzed at what I see. It's a bird like creature, with a beak and glowing red eyes. But its body is more bat-like with the webbed wings and small body. But the feet had razor tipped claws; that looked to be able to tear and disembowel.

The claws were covered in blood.

Some of it drips on my clothes as the bird/bat mutt swipes at me. The claws just graze me but not before it draws blood. I hiss as the hot warmth of blood starts to pump from the wound. My legs start to tangle and wobble as my blood pumps out.

I stagger across the circle of water and fall into the grass. The mutt stops at the circle of water and wails. It's like it's blocked by the water or something.

I see the boy from District 2 stagger into the bloodbath area and fall to the ground. He's bloody too; long gashes in his chest. A twin of the mutt that followed me screeches as it circles madly around the water with the other. I grab the spear that I took from the District 1 girl's trap and throw. With the adrenaline pumping, my throw has a lot of power. It catches one of the mutts in the chest and it screeches as it falls to the ground, bleeding black tar-like liquid.

In this moment, the final two, I remember the boy from 2's name.

Caden.

A handsome but yet at the same time ugly boy, that's as bloodthirsty as a wolf. He even has the eyes of one. Even though he's hurt, I know he'll be strong and hard to beat.

I might die because of him.

My fingers touch the rope around my waist. I kept it as a belt since my pants were always falling down and Jared had jibbed me about it. He said he had no problem with him seeing me but like all men, he actually wanted to see me.

The memory of Jared brings fresh vengeance to me.

I bind my wounds lightning fast and then move to finish off the boy. But before I can reach him; flames manifest along the circle of water, madly flying across the surface. They're trapping us in there.

I am so shocked that I don't notice Caden get up and stalk towards me.

"You," he growls, and then swings at me with his sword. I duck and then swing with my axe. My axe meets flesh and I'm rewarded with a spray of blood from the wound now in his shoulder. It's not an extreme wound but if he doesn't kill me in enough time, he'll bleed out.

He answers with a blow to my side. The blood soaks the bandages wrapped around my torso. But since I wrapped it so tightly, it restricts it slightly, like a tourqinet.

I kick him in the torso and he tumbles away from me.

"It was a deadly mistake to underestimate me," I say and go for the death blow.

But he tackles me to the ground. He's easily three times my size and easily pins me. I struggle and buck against Caden but it's no use. He's got me down.

He will kill me.

Caden grits his teeth in the effort of keeping me still. I manage to free my hand and dig my fingers into his shoulder wound. He screams and then I manage to run.

I take my rope and ready it into a lasso. I spot the remaining mutt creature and send the lasso for its feet. The knot immediately tightens around the feet just about when Caden almost reaches me. I shoot him a grin and then I'm yanked into the air. I scurry up the rope, high enough so my opponent can't reach me but far enough so the mutt can't kill me with its claws.

The Gamemakers won't be happy since I'm using one of their creations for my own benefit. The only people that mutts benefit are the Gamemakers.

The mutt doesn't make it easy though. It swerves and dips, trying to shake me off. Finally, after I hit a tree, I fall to the ground. Right where the District 1 girl's trap is. The crashing in the woods tells me that Caden is close.

The creature screeches, circling madly. I can feel its eyes on me. A cunning idea enters my mind. It makes me grin and I ready myself.

Caden staggers into the trap area, all bloody and scratched up. His wolf eyes meet mine and a snarl twists his lips. He stalks forward. And his feet trigger one of the last trip wires.

He's scooped up into the air. The net incases him and he yells in fury.

He writhes furiously and then I see him take out his sword and begin to saw at the thick rope. I scurry into action, making another lasso. I throw it and it wraps around the mutt's feet again. The net is pulled up in the air; Caden screaming his head off, struggling in his trap and me grinning, holding on for the ride. The mutt takes us back to the Cornucopia, just like I thought it would. The flames are still there. Once we enter the bloodbath area, the flames soar so high, they seem to touch the sky.

The mutt drops Caden on the ground, after me sawing at the rope. He frees himself and runs towards me and the approaching mutt. Once he gets close enough, I do something completely crazy and totally brainless.

I let go of the rope and launch myself at the District 2 boy. My feet shove into his chest and he flies back. I do a shoulder roll landing and then I run towards him. Just before he can get up, I throw my axe.

And he's dead.

The cannon fires.

Trumpets sound.

Over the roar of the crowd, I just make out one thing.

"I give you, Johanna Mason, tribute of District 7, this year's victor of Sixty-ninth Hunger Games!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A ladder drops in front of me and I step onto the rungs. The current freezes me in place. I'm glad for that since I don't have the strength to hold myself up anymore. Once I'm pulled into the hovercraft, I drop like a rag doll. Capitol doctors surround me and I fight like a wild animal. It still feels like the Games to me, even though I already know I'm the victor. The killing instinct that bloomed in the arena is so strong that it controls me and I even draw blood from one of the doctors.

A needle injects something cold into my veins and I slip out of reality.

Those next few days are a blur as they put me back together in some underground hospital. But even the innovative Capitol doctors with their unbelievable technology can't remove the dangerous and haunted look in my eyes. The look of a predator on the hunt. I'm small naturally but from almost being starved to death, I'm painfully skinny. They get me looking healthy enough.

I wake up one day and find the outfit the tributes wore in the arena. Black and red. Blood soaking the black, shiny stains. Blood spreading through the red, intensifying the colour.

I try to rip the clothes apart but a Capitol attendant knocks me out before I can fully destroy them. I wake up to find myself in the clothes. I growl under my breath and then walk down a hallway to find my stylist, who is blubbering excitedly and Blight, who's watching me with appraisal.

He takes me into a hug and I welcome it. Even when spending time at the Capitol, he still smells like home; of fresh air, pine trees and earth. It's a welcome smell compared to the antiseptic smell of this place.

They finally take me out of the hospital and get me ready for the viewing of the Games. All of Panem will be watching.

Yay for me.

Next thing I know, I'm overwhelmed by the bright colours and fuzzy clothing of my prep team. They get me ready, quickly undressing me and then making me pretty. Rubbing suspicious smelling goo on my hair and skin. Removing body hair and all that.

Finally, my stylist comes in and reveals the dress. Once I pull it on, I look straight in the mirror.

I wear a sleeveless dark green dress that's made of this sheer, gauzy fabric. There are diamond shaped cut outs on my sides and slits that almost reach my hip. A gold vine belt encircles my waist. Gold bracelets are also around my biceps. Dark makeup lines my eyes, making my brown eyes smolder. My cheekbones are emphasized with careful blush and my lips are a red smirk.

I looked fantastic. But I look beautiful and deadly at the same time. A girl that knew what she was doing when she used the Gamemakers' mutts to win the Games. A girl that knew she was broadcasting rebellion across the country.

The worst thing that could happen to me in the arena was die. But now, people I love will be in danger. All because of the antics I pulled, the antics that I thought were so genius.

I really put myself in a hole.

I walk in a daze to my plate that will lift me onto the stage. It reminds me of the plate that pushed me up to the arena and I have a flashback of being in the Stockyard. Of scrambling for the pack while the other tributes whacked away at each other.

I realize that I've started to hyperventilate and I stop immediately. Taking deep breaths, I finally step onto the metal circle. I hear the crowd as Blight is lifted up to the stage. Then I'm being pushed up.

Back in District 7:

Everyone watches with bated breath as Johanna rises to the stage on the clear screens in the square. Sam feels a pang in his chest as he first lays eyes on Johanna. She looks like a goddess to him. His hands tighten around her two brothers. The happiness glistening in all of their eyes was evident. Even if twenty-three other children had to die for Johanna to live; they were still happy.

And so was Sam.

At the Capitol:

Caesar Flickerman opens a few jokes and then we turn our attention to the big screen. A condensed version of the Games.

It was bad enough to live in there but now they're making me see it all over again.

I rein in my emotions and lock them in a box deep inside. Emptiness replaces the swell of emotions and I watch with detachment.

The first part is the pre-arena events; the reapings, the chariots and training scores. Then it's time for the Games. The cameras take in the circle of tributes, all tense on their plates. We see the girl from 5 blown to bits in full. I don't even wince. Then the bloodbath starts. Blood starts flowing from the weapons of the tributes. I see myself scramble away from the bloodbath, disappearing into the woods.

Then it's the progress death toll of the rest of the tributes. Victims of Titus, the Careers or just the Gamemakers.

There's when I find Jared in one of my traps and the audience laughs at that part. I just look down at my hands, which are white fists.

I see all of my kills. The death of the girl from 2, the boy from 4 and the boy from 1. I also see Jared's death. And my reaction. The reading of the District 7 rites. The kiss.

I don't recognize this person that is so gentle and caring. I only recognize myself when I go hunting that night. The monster lurking in the depths of my eyes makes me do a double take. Do I look that dangerous?

Finally it's the face-off. I hear the audience murmuring and shushing each other in excitement, not wanting to miss a second of it. The fight is just as awful. I flashback to the actual fight, Caden's wolf eyes brightening with bloodlust, my death in his eyes.

Then I kill him and the trumpets sound. It's the image that the cameras capture before the screens fade to black that makes my heart stop beating.

It's me, just before the hovercraft came, standing tall. Blood is splattered all over my skin, including my face. A bloody axe dangles from my fingers, the dark liquid dripping on the grass. And flames are reflected in my eyes. I see death in my own eyes which makes me shiver.

Then it's over and I stand. President Snow comes along with the victor crown. He places it on my head and smiles. But I don't believe it. The man had unforgiving snake eyes.

I head back to our floor and I quickly strip and drop into the bed.

I don't sleep long. I'm awakened by bloody nightmares. The Careers I killed, the rest of the dead tributes and Jared join the parade of the dead. Hugh, the Careers, and Jared pin me down so the bird-bat mutt can rip out my innards. It switches and then I see Caden above me, pinning me to the ground. His weight grows so heavy that I'm crushed. His face sprouts fur and he turns into a wolf. His eyes remain the same.

Once again, my stomach is torn open.

I wake up to find Blight sitting on the edge of my bed, his eyes almost glowing in the darkness. Sweat is all over my skin and my breathing is rapid and out of control.

He hands me a tube full of liquid. I pull off the stopper and give it a whiff. The strong sweet scent tells me its sleep syrup. I take a tiny sip from it and put on the stopper. Blight takes it, squeezes my hand and then leaves. I fall back on the mattress and fall back asleep.

I'm still haunted by nightmares but they have surreal quality that makes them more terrifying but less at the same time. The colours are more intense. When blood drips from Jared's wound, it looks like its glowing.

I wake up again. I don't bother taking more sleep syrup. I just leave my room and go the dining area. I see the sun rising, painting the Capitol with liquid gold. The Avoxes are just setting out food. I get some and then sit, staring out at the skyline.

I drift through most of the day in a stupor, barely awake. Luckily, the prep team wakes me up with a few brightly coloured medicines.

Then it's the final interview in the president's mansion. The strong scent of roses makes my nose wrinkle.

I'm dressed in another sexy and fierce ensemble, with even more skin showing. I am tempted to wrap my arms around myself to cover my bare skin.

I stare blankly at the seat, ready to be sat in. Caesar Flickerman is chatting easily with the camera crew.

All I feel is my heart in my throat and my stomach falling to the floor.


End file.
